Watercraft that supposedly are easy to transport have long existed. U.S. Pat. No. 299,951 to Brown, dating from 1884, illustrates and describes a “hammock canoe” whose main frame includes handles and a strap. According to the Brown patent, “by the aid of” the handles and strap, “the person using the device may readily carry the same from place to place.” See Brown, p. 1, 11. 79-83.
No disassembly of the canoe of the Brown patent is intended, however. Nor is the “canoe” intended to support a user in a seated or prone position while in the water; instead, the device is useable as a hammock (with a prone user) only when “cords or lines suspended from trees” are attached to its rings or loops. See id., 11. 36-38 and 87-92. Further, although the canoe includes an opening through which a user's legs may extend, the opening is entirely within the main frame, and thus within the footprint, of the canoe.
European Patent Publication No. 0118305 B1 (the “EP '305 Patent”) also discloses what it calls an “easily transportable boat” with an integrated hull. The boat includes foot rests as well as hand grips and an opening within the envelope of the boat through which a user may place his or her legs. According to the EP '305 Patent: “When water less than three inches in depth is encountered the operator puts his feet through the opening, stands up, catches the hand grips and walks while carrying the boat at the same time until more suitable waters are reached.” See EP '305 Patent, col. 3, 11. 57-61 (numerals omitted).
U.S. Pat. No. 2,674,753 to Wood and U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,068 to Jasper depict other water-borne objects, the former labelled a “boat” and the latter called a “float.” The boat of the Wood patent is generally similar to the canoe of the Brown patent, although it also includes an inflatable “occupant support member” having a pair of holes through which a user's legs extend within the footprint of the boat. See Wood, col. 2, 11. 5-8; col. 3, 11. 4-14. The recreational float of the Jasper patent likewise includes a seat having leg openings bounded by an enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,843 to Oman, finally, describes yet another boat “which can be conveniently handled by a single person.” See Oman, col. 1, 1. 15. The integrated structure of the boat includes two hull portions having internal air compartments for flotation and a saddle section for seating therebetween. See id., 11. 44-46. The entire contents of the Brown, Wood, Jasper, and Oman patents, together with the entire contents of the EP '305 Patent, are hereby incorporated herein by this reference.